When is the right time to make a career turn?

An interview with Michelle Higa Fox

Over the course of an entire career, spanning different jobs, companies and goals, a lot of people find that their priorities shift, and so do their personal definitions of success. Michelle Higa Fox joins us today to talk about how those concepts have shifted for her throughout her career working as a freelancer, collaborator, agency owner, and now parent.

Michelle is the founder and Executive Creative Director for Slanted Studios, which creates mixed-media animation for emerging technology. She was also a co-founder of the animation group Mixtape Club, with whom she co-directed music videos, produced commercials for clients like Google and Showtime, and whom she helped win several awards.

Today, we talk about having representation as a director versus going it alone, the balance of doing personal projects while working full time, and what it’s like to collaborate with people over several years. She also goes into her thoughts on being a parent and an entrepreneur or team member, the mindset shift of being a business owner versus being a freelancer, and the shifting idea of success and what it is.

How do you define success? Has your idea of success changed over time? Let us know in the comments!

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In this episode

Working with collaborators on a single brand
Getting representation as a director
How to justify time for personal projects while working full time
Being a business owner vs being a freelancer
Being a parent and an entrepreneur or a parent in the workplace
Evolution of your personal concept of success

Quotes

“It was more about finally getting the opportunity to make the thing that was in our heads as opposed to just realizing the storyboards we were getting handed at work every day.” 9:28

“Every time you learn a new angle, you draw on all the experiences you had previously.” 23:11

“The way I used to solve problems was always with time… Now that I’m a parent, that’s just not an option.” 33:19

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